I missed Things I Miss Friday

But this morning brought me smack dab in the face of something I always miss: Doing Time on Maple Drive - probably the best made-for-TV/Lifetime-ish movie EVER made.

Yes, that's Jim Carrey.  He plays an alcoholic.  The father is a former military guy who's been too strict on his family, so all the kids are screwed up.  The mother, well, I don't know her reason for being a jerk, but she is.

I have always love this movie, but it's funny how dated it looks and sounds now.  It came out in 1993 so everyone's waistbands are a bit high.  The mother's homophobia would not be written the same way now, even on Lifetime.  "I don't know why you choose this for yourself!"  "I didn't choose this, Mom, this is who I am!  And what about AIDS?  Would someone choose to be gay now?"  The line actually took me aback; I don't think being gay and AIDS are associated like that anymore, so easily.

Later the father says, "Homosexual.  There, I said it... and I didn't even feel sick or anything." "Well, Dad, I think the word 'gay' is easier."  "No, I don't like that word.  It's a perfectly good word that's been ruined."   Errr, yeah.  So very dated; it reminds me of those old B&W "marijuana is bad for you" films from the 30s.  My best guess, though, is that this was someone's first attempt to broach this topic.  1992 was the start of the Clinton era; we got through the Reagan administration with him not saying the word AIDS until nearly the end of his term and G.H.W. Bush not doing much better.  One of my very favorite 90s films, And The Band Played On, came out the following year, also on television.  I think maybe not only did filmmakers start to feel freer to make such films, but also people felt ready to explore the ideas and topics in a more public forum.

For all its dated-ness, though, I still love Doing Time on Maple Drive.  It's one of those that I kind of wish I don't ever get on DVD because it's like a special treat every time I happen to find it on TV, as odd as that probably sounds.

Comments

[Jeff Atkinson]

I discovered your homepage by coincidence.
Very interesting posts and well written.
I will put your site on my blogroll.
:-)

[bookishpenguin]

Thanks - a happy accident. I love stumbling upon blogs I like.